Invasive Species the Top Priority for Marine Debris Task Force

A spokeswoman for Washington Marine Debris Task Force says scientists will once again visit the dock along the coast today and tomorrow. The dock is considered likely debris from the March 2011 tsunami in Japan and their first priority is what the dock brought with it.

Virginia Painter of the state Parks Department said Wednesday that the first task for representatives of the state Fish and Wildlife agency and the National Park Service will be to assess and remove any possibly invasive species that have attached themselves to the dock.

The battery on a GPS beacon attached to the dock is already weakening and officials hope a replacement unit arrives from Hawaii in time to be installed on Friday.

Painter says the consensus at a Wednesday meeting of agencies dealing with the dock was that the state needs to take care of any invasive species first, then the National Park Service will work out funding for removing the dock from the wilderness beach.